a charming coincidence

yesterday while on the F train going to Broadway Lafayette I was sitting and listening to a Tegan and Sara song on my ipod. Then at Delancey I noticed a girl get on the train and stand in front of me, she had some plastic thing in the outer part of her ear so I did a double take, wondering if she was deaf. Then I looked at the girl's face and realized that it was Sara/Tegan standing in front of me (I can't tell them apart, but I think it was Sara.) I stared at her, she stared back so I just smiled and resisted the urge to ask her if she was in town for a show.
That's one of the weird things about New York, there really is a chance the person you're playing on your ipod will magically materialize. I think if it had been Cat Power that had magically appeared I would have let out an audible yelp of surprise.

gaitskill interview

This Thursday I am going to be interviewing Mary Gaitskill at her home in Red Hook. Because mail seems to mysteriously vanish before it gets to my hands (my Juliana Hatfield Cd and book also never made it to my door) I have not yet gotten her new collection of short stories so I am fretting that it might not get to me in time. I'm nervous, because not only is Gaitskill one of my favorite writers, she is also the subject of my MA thesis (which I finally finished last week.)

I was thinking today as I walked through cold, austere Prospect Park that perhaps what made me connect so much to her work during my late teens--early twenties is the fact that she has always written on the darkness and trauma that seems to be inherent in sexuality, something that I was always aware of growing up.

Alba in adaptation of Bender novel

I discovered a few weeks ago--via both IMDB and Perez Hilton--that my favorite author Aimee Bender (I am writing my master's thesis on one of her books) has adapted her book An Invisible Sign of My Own into a screenplay that is now filming. Cast in the lead role is....Jessica Alba! While Ms. Alba is always worthy eye candy in action flicks I can't help but suggest that perhaps Zooey Deschanel, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman etc. might have all been far better options. Still, I hope the flick is as good as the novel, even with Alba.

Thank god for Obama

I had been nervous all of October about the election, hoping and praying that Obama would win. But other than adorning my sweaters and belongings with pins and stickers I found little else I could feasibly do. I was relieved and overjoyed with the word came that Obama was the projected winner. I stayed up until the wee hours of the night hopping from Brooklyn bar to the next, watching the tally of electoral votes and finally being rewarded with Obama's victory speech and McCain's eloquent concession.

A woman in the bar bought everyone champagne and the bartender gave us a round on the house as we cheered along with other patrons whose eyes were also glued to the screen. A parade of children marched in the street banging drums and screaming Obama until adults joined in. All night the streets were lit up with cheering and fire crackers snapping, and it was incredible to see so many people so happy over his win. As I have been a registered DFL voter since senior year of high school this has been the first time my presidential pick has one, utter joy.

Rachel Getting Married

Tonight I was fortunate enough to get press spots to Rachel Getting Married, Jonathan Demme's new film starring Anne Hathaway. I've been dying to see it for ages, especially since this summer offered up little else to me cinematically than pure chick flick fluff (Sex and the City) and lots of over the top frat boy esque comedies (Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder). But nowhere this summer did I find means to satisfy my indie drama craving, hence my anticipation for Rachel Getting Married. The film was shot primarily with loosely staged scenes, so there's a strong sense of naturalism in the cast's interactions. Hathaway was wonderfully intense as Kym, with somehow not being over the top. I think she really has a larger range as an actress than she's shown thus far (albeit her supporting role in Broke Back Mountain.) I identified a lot with Kym as the recovering addict who just can't pull it all together.



I felt teary eyed and affected by the film and wandered around the artificial austereness of the east side of midtown while listening to Ipod letting everything wash over me. It's been awhile since a film has had the strength to affect me personally.

It's still three weeks before National Coming Out Day

Today Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson came out of the closet, as did Clay Aiken. Strange it all happened on the same day.

Kudos to them, even as obvious as it was.

Yummy

I am so in love with Shirataki tofu noodles, they are all I seem to eat--if I eat at home--nowadays. I bought six bags last night, and a bag of seaweed noodles. I can't eat pasta, but I can eat these, one serving is only 20 calories, and if you eat the whole bag, it's only 40 calories. My friend's exboyfriend says they smell like fish, but if you nuke them they taste and smell just like normal noodles (and you don't have to boil
them as they are already soft.) I ate them for breakfast today smothered in garlic and tomato sauce.